Covering vehicle production and distribution as well as car sharing, the strategic cooperation agreement between Bolloré and PSA Peugeot Citroën reflects the two groups’ shared commitment towards sustainable mobility. It is also aligned with their common goal of becoming a leading player in the car sharing market, which will account for a significant portion of the new mobility economy, alongside public transport solutions.
The electric vehicle that will be distributed by PSA Peugeot Citroën is the Bluesummer, a four-seat cabriolet designed by Bolloré, with an urban driving range of 200 kilometres.
On the production side, the agreement also provides for the assembly of Bluesummer cars at PSA Peugeot Citroën plant in Rennes from September 2015, with installed capacity of 15 vehicles per day for a maximum of 3,500 vehicles per year.
To further their commitment to sustainable mobility, the two groups will also cooperate in the area of car sharing – initially in Europe and later via the creation of a joint venture designed to deploy car sharing solutions worldwide using electric vehicles (passenger cars and commercial vehicles), as well as low-emission internal combustion vehicles.
The strategic cooperation agreement leverages the two groups’ respective expertise and experience:
Bolloré is already present in the electric mobility market, having designed and developed several electric vehicles (notably Bluecar, Bluesummer, Bluebus and Bluetram). It also operates an electric vehicle car sharing network in several cities in France (Paris, Lyon and Bordeaux and their outlying towns) and abroad, via dedicated subsidiaries.
PSA Peugeot Citroën has set up various car sharing operations since 2013, with an offer designed for businesses in France and, via its Citroën brand, in Germany (Multicity Berlin). In addition, the Peugeot brand launched a short-term rental offer in 2009 – Mu by Peugeot.
Carlos Tavares, Chairman of the Managing Board of PSA Peugeot Citroën commented: “The agreement signed between our two companies reflects the vision that Vincent Bolloré and I share of clean, sustainable mobility solutions that enable us to provide our customers with the freedom to get around, which we consider a fundamental right in today’s society.”
Vincent Bolloré, Chairman and CEO of Bolloré, said: “We are very proud of this partnership founded on industry, innovation and environmental stewardship. It’s a step forward in the development of mass-market electric vehicles.”
